asked when he finally let her go.
Sahayl sipped his wine more slowly, snatching up bits of food and eating between sentences. "To pass orders to change the patterns. Which I would have already done, except a certain wife cannot learn that her place is in the camp designated to her, in my tent, and obeying my orders."
Rafiqa rolled her eyes. "Did I not warn you, honorable husband, that you should have taken my sister as wife?"
"You imagine I had any say in the matter," Sahayl said, swallowing a bit of meat, licking a pale yellow sauce from his fingers. "If it had been left up to me, oh former daughter of the Cobra, I would gladly have left you to the fool who seems to be quite happily caught in your spell."
"Quite," Wafai said, pressing a kiss to the pulse at Rafiqa's wrist.
Sahayl smiled at them. "One day, my brother and sister, things will be as they should be."
Rafiqa smiled fondly at him, and leaned across the table to give him another chaste kiss.
"Thank you, as always, my Sandstorm Amir."
Sahayl waved the word aside and resumed eating, rapidly decimating a tray of pastries stuffed with soft cheese. "I will come up with suitable repayment, never fear, my dear, dear Amira." He yawned. "I need a bath and to not wake up for several days." He sighed. "Saa, it seems I will not even get the bath."
"Surely you do not mean to charge off again without properly resting?" Rafiqa said with a frown. She glared at them both. "What is it with you men that you must try to kill yourselves with work? Is it not enough you try to kill each other every single day? You will finish eating, then you will bathe, and then you will sleep. When you wake up, you will eat again and then perhaps I will permit you to go about your duties. No one is going anywhere until I say so, is that understood? I did not come here simply to see you immediately run off again." She folded her arms across her chest and waited in stony silence.
"Lady save me from her daughters," Sahayl muttered. "I cannot wait until you are out of my tent, Rafiqa. We must spread word of the change in pattern as quickly as possible. That means we have not time to relax."
Rafiqa sniffed, unimpressed. "Your horses, at the very least, will need time to recover from the abuse you inflict upon them. Wafai will go inform the camp of the pattern change, I will order a bath and then you will relax for the remainder of the night. Is that understood?"
"Yes, beloved wife," Sahayl said.
"Good," Rafiqa said, rising to her feet. "Wafai, I will have them draw a bath in your tent as well."
"Thank you, Rafi." Wafai stood and stole a quick kiss before bowing to Sahayl and striding from the tent.
Rafiqa eyed Sahayl. "You reek. Honestly, has the sand killed your sense of smell, honored husband?"
Sahayl laughed and continued to eat while a bath was prepared, listening with half an ear while his wife ordered the men about.
"Come, husband. Out of those clothes and let us get you clean and not smelling like a battlefield." She moved to help him, nose wrinkling as she tossed his filthy robes aside. "It's a wonder you could eat covered in all this filth. I do wish you could learn the proper order of things."
"I didn't think I'd be stopping long enough to enjoy anything more than the food, beloved wife, else I would have bathed first."
Rafiqa sniffed and shoved him toward the bath, fingers combing through his thick hair for a moment once she was settled in. "You need a real wife," she said. "Not a farce."
"I am happiest on my own," Sahayl said, not bothering to open his eyes as he replied. He heard her sigh softly before she moved away and began to rifle through trunks of clothes, pulling out thing for him to wear and laying them out on his bed. "Truly. My only regret is that you must waste so much time with me when you should be with Wafai."
"My life is hardly one to regret, honored husband," Rafiqa said with dry amusement. "I think I shall endure being your Amira until I am free to marry the
Sahayl sipped his wine more slowly, snatching up bits of food and eating between sentences. "To pass orders to change the patterns. Which I would have already done, except a certain wife cannot learn that her place is in the camp designated to her, in my tent, and obeying my orders."
Rafiqa rolled her eyes. "Did I not warn you, honorable husband, that you should have taken my sister as wife?"
"You imagine I had any say in the matter," Sahayl said, swallowing a bit of meat, licking a pale yellow sauce from his fingers. "If it had been left up to me, oh former daughter of the Cobra, I would gladly have left you to the fool who seems to be quite happily caught in your spell."
"Quite," Wafai said, pressing a kiss to the pulse at Rafiqa's wrist.
Sahayl smiled at them. "One day, my brother and sister, things will be as they should be."
Rafiqa smiled fondly at him, and leaned across the table to give him another chaste kiss.
"Thank you, as always, my Sandstorm Amir."
Sahayl waved the word aside and resumed eating, rapidly decimating a tray of pastries stuffed with soft cheese. "I will come up with suitable repayment, never fear, my dear, dear Amira." He yawned. "I need a bath and to not wake up for several days." He sighed. "Saa, it seems I will not even get the bath."
"Surely you do not mean to charge off again without properly resting?" Rafiqa said with a frown. She glared at them both. "What is it with you men that you must try to kill yourselves with work? Is it not enough you try to kill each other every single day? You will finish eating, then you will bathe, and then you will sleep. When you wake up, you will eat again and then perhaps I will permit you to go about your duties. No one is going anywhere until I say so, is that understood? I did not come here simply to see you immediately run off again." She folded her arms across her chest and waited in stony silence.
"Lady save me from her daughters," Sahayl muttered. "I cannot wait until you are out of my tent, Rafiqa. We must spread word of the change in pattern as quickly as possible. That means we have not time to relax."
Rafiqa sniffed, unimpressed. "Your horses, at the very least, will need time to recover from the abuse you inflict upon them. Wafai will go inform the camp of the pattern change, I will order a bath and then you will relax for the remainder of the night. Is that understood?"
"Yes, beloved wife," Sahayl said.
"Good," Rafiqa said, rising to her feet. "Wafai, I will have them draw a bath in your tent as well."
"Thank you, Rafi." Wafai stood and stole a quick kiss before bowing to Sahayl and striding from the tent.
Rafiqa eyed Sahayl. "You reek. Honestly, has the sand killed your sense of smell, honored husband?"
Sahayl laughed and continued to eat while a bath was prepared, listening with half an ear while his wife ordered the men about.
"Come, husband. Out of those clothes and let us get you clean and not smelling like a battlefield." She moved to help him, nose wrinkling as she tossed his filthy robes aside. "It's a wonder you could eat covered in all this filth. I do wish you could learn the proper order of things."
"I didn't think I'd be stopping long enough to enjoy anything more than the food, beloved wife, else I would have bathed first."
Rafiqa sniffed and shoved him toward the bath, fingers combing through his thick hair for a moment once she was settled in. "You need a real wife," she said. "Not a farce."
"I am happiest on my own," Sahayl said, not bothering to open his eyes as he replied. He heard her sigh softly before she moved away and began to rifle through trunks of clothes, pulling out thing for him to wear and laying them out on his bed. "Truly. My only regret is that you must waste so much time with me when you should be with Wafai."
"My life is hardly one to regret, honored husband," Rafiqa said with dry amusement. "I think I shall endure being your Amira until I am free to marry the
Similar Books
